Creating Your Legacy: Exploring Planned Giving Options and Opportunities

You can’t take it with you, so what do you do with it? An online webinar exploring planned giving options and opportunities to create your legacy.

Join us for an engaging and practical conversation on planned giving and legacy planning, hosted by Shane A. Nichols, Assistant Vice President for Development at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and featuring Rev. Dr. David L. Heetland, Senior Vice President for Planned Giving.

This webinar will provide a high-level overview of planned giving options, offering ways you can both care for your loved ones and make a lasting impact through charitable giving that reflects your values. Together, we’ll explore creative strategies for supporting the people and causes you cherish most. Participants will also receive a philanthropic questionnaire, a helpful tool designed to guide reflection on personal goals and priorities in planning for the future.

As a special thank-you, all attendees will receive a free copy of Garrett-Evangelical’s Estate Planning Guide—a practical resource to help you take the next steps in stewarding your legacy.

We hope you’ll join us for this opportunity to learn, reflect, and explore how thoughtful planning can bless both your family and the ministries and organizations you care about most.

Rev. Dr. David L. Heetland
Senior Vice President for Planned Giving

Reverend Dr. David L. Heetland has served Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, for more than 40 years, where he has been the guiding force behind the seminary’s planned giving program. During his tenure, Dr. Heetland significantly expanded the seminary’s planned giving efforts, assisting alums and friends create a lasting legacy while ensuring long-term financial stability and growth for the seminary.

An ordained pastor and a certified financial planner, Dr. Heetland is widely recognized for blending financial expertise with pastoral care. His ability to help donors align their values with their resources has transformed planned giving into a ministry of faithful stewardship.

Dr. Heetland is the author of Creating Generous Congregations: A Step-by-Step Guide and Happy Surprises: Help Others Discover the Joy of Giving, both of which offer practical tools for pastors, leaders, and laypersons to grow generosity in their communities. His deep knowledge of financial planning, combined with decades of experience in cultivating donor relationships, has made him a trusted voice in theological education and the wider church.

Shane A. Nichols (G-ETS 2002)
Assistant Vice President for Development

Shane A. Nichols has dedicated more than two decades to advancing the mission of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary through fundraising, alumni relations, donor engagement, and marketing and communications. Currently serving as Assistant Vice President for Development, he oversees the seminary’s planned giving program, while also shaping strategies for annual and major giving and strengthening relationships with alumni and friends of the seminary.

Throughout his tenure, Shane has played a key role in cultivating lifelong connections with alumni and friends, leading successful annual fund and giving initiatives, and partnering with donors to ensure their gifts reflect both their values and Garrett’s mission. His work reflects a commitment to seeing fundraising as ministry—building trust, inspiring generosity, and helping secure the seminary’s future.

Shane holds degrees from Oklahoma City University (B.A. in Religion) and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (M.T.S.), along with a certificate in nonprofit management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is an active member of several professional associations, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the American Council on Gift Annuities.